Big Salmon Lake some people want it all

For @Kadezj. :)

It was twilight. The sun hung low in the sky, just beginning to disappear beyond the western horizon. The golden-kissed wolf moved purposefully, each running step a move away from the darkness that had almost consumed her. Unfortunately, that darkness was following her. Unfortunately, that darkness was named Kadezj, and she had sworn herself to him more than two months ago.

Whatever she had expected of her time spent with the Khalas, it was not deceit, betrayal, and almost death. However, those were the things she received in return for her work, for her honesty and attempts to fit into this new life. Justice was still an innocent; she had not slain another wolf in her time there (thankfully, it had been a time of peace), and she had not been subjected to their open sexuality, since she was an outsider.

But that did not exempt her from expulsion when she had thrown her hat in with the wrong wolf. Kadezj followed her even now, even when she yelled, "Toki chafak!" at him with every other step. Kadezj was an idiot, though not as stupid as she was, considering she was the one who had sworn to defend him before she knew what that actually meant. She mumbled curses at him beneath her breath, hoping that eventually he would give up on her. But she knew he never would, and so she ignored his presence as thoroughly as she possibly could.

Each step was a greater burden than the last, but he kept taking them. Blow after blow, the hits kept coming - flashing through his mind and echoing in his muscles where he felt the impact all over again. He was fighting again - each time he touched his toes to the earth, his muscles screamed with the bruises and strains all over his body. He would not be allowed to forget his defeat - at least not for a long while, and not without the aid of some rest.

But a khal who could not run was no khal, and so he kept on running. The soft, golden frame of Justice streaked out before him - lithe, springy, healthy, and full of spite. He pursued her earnestly, knowing that she wished not to be pursued, that if it were up to her, their ways would have parted as soon as they were sure to safety. In all honesty, he was not sure they were safe yet. So he could use that as a convincing argument for his continued presence around her. "Affa erinak," he panted, spurring his own sides and drawing up closer to her with a wince. "We are all liars in the end."

She could hear him panting, groaning, and otherwise showing his signs of pain behind her. She didn't stop or check on him. At this point, she didn't care how he felt. The pain he experienced was his to bear. At least she had escaped with her life and honor intact, something that she was reminded of when Kadezj's brother stepped between he and the khal, to save their skins from lining his den after their sure defeat.

Justice had not known Kadezj's plan, had not known what bloodfang truly meant. She had listened to his sweet talk and trusted him, an older, wiser wolf in these lands she didn't know, and trusted that she would be safe.

That was far from the truth.

Kadezj trotted up beside her and immediately Justice recoiled, her fangs exposed in an easy snarl. She didn't want to hurt him, but it would be easy now. He was injured and weak, a wolf not fit to bear the title he fought for, and she was glad to remind him of it. "Leave it, Kadezj. You are a liar and a traitor. What makes you think I would follow you still? Keep my word and give my honor to an honorless man?" Justice stopped mid-step and waited for him, sure his tongue would be laced with the sweetest poison. Now she was prepared for such things, however, and would not let him sway her without her own convictions.

Lies had led him here, but they had been well-crafted ones. He had built his circle of supporters slowly and secretively, stepping in with the wolves of Khalas who were in need and overlooked, who were naive or searching for hope, or who simply wanted to see how his scheme for dominance would play out. His family had been easy to pull over, but none so steadfast as his bloodfang brother Zirqoyi, who was the only other wolf who knew the true extent of his plan to challenge and defeat the existing khal and rise to power.

Justice had fallen into the category of the naive - a traveler who gained access to the Khalas due to her age and gender alone, and moldability. It was such a shame that no one had the time to mold or teach her. No one, of course, except Kadezj. In his history lessons he had found careful words and promises to build her up in his favor. And with two bloodfangs, he finally had the stage set to make a move.

He just didn't have the strength, it seemed. Kadezj was a seasoned warrior and lieutenant, Ko to the old khal, and had no fear of injury or death to cause his opponents the same. He saw now way in which he was not a fit match to take down his leader. The loss was still a surprise, that jolted through his every pained step. "Liar? I won't deny it, nor will I see the danger in it. Lies bring forth good and evil just as every truth can do. But traitor? What an ambiguous word," he said, not recoiling from her snarl but instead stopping at her offered pause. "My betrayal was to Khal Vazyol. Correct me if I am mistaken, but was your word and honor pledged to him, for whom you should suffer empathetic offense? Vos, gizikhven nayat, you gave those to me."

Recovering his breath the longer they stood there, he was able to shift his pained features slowly into a wily smile. "You will not betray me because to do so would make you no better than I - and you do so ever want to be the better wolf." He shifted his weight between his paws. "After all, why pause to give me relief and counsel? You are my bloodfang, true and loyal as ever one could be." He knew this may goad and irritate her further, but this was a fire worth stoking at present. He needed her, his very survival depended upon her, and his fight was far from over.

Her life with the Khalas had not been the lap of luxury by any means, but it had also not been unbearably hard. She worked beside them, learned their mannerisms and their customs, and eventually was given the name Shekhi as part of their clan. She had given six months of her life to the Khalas and had planned on living there for a while longer, though she was certain none of the men in the clan would become her husband. They were too brutal, barbaric, and violent. She wanted a gentler sort of man. "Your betrayal was also to me, tokik. You lured me onto your side and betrayed my trust in you. Do not forget, Kadezj, but I was thrown from the pack for something I did not do."

But in her naiveté she had trusted the wrong man and without all the information, promised herself to his cause. Unfortunately he was right: she wanted to be the better wolf. Justice so desired to live up to her namesake: to be just, righteous, and bring lawful goodness to the unlawful. However, Kadezj had ruined her plans when he had decided, without her knowledge, to challenge Khal Vazyol for the right to lead the Khalas. Because of his inability to plan appropriately, he had lost and they were here, among these strange lands.

Justice scoffed, a harsh sound that came from her throat. "Bloodfang," she sneered, pulling back from him. "You are the exiled ko of a much stronger khal. Your khasar is pathetic, completed by one dead wolf and a woman who wants nothing to do with you."

Kadezj rounded on Justice with a snarl and a snap. The gesture was only a warning sign, never intended to make contact or proceed to further aggression with her - but it was a flash of his bloodthirsty, seasoned fangs all the same. "Do not speak of the dead so casually, vikeesi," he said, licking his lips and reigning in his outburst. The two were equally adept at ruffling one another's feathers at present, it seemed.

"You were thrown from nothing. If you had stayed with the khalas, your pelt would line the floor of Vazyol's den and his children would be gnawing upon your bones. With me, you choose life. And did my actions close one door for you? Of course," he admitted, shifting his weight from one side to the other. "But I have many doors still to open. I may have been defeated in combat, but I am not a defeated man yet." With a deep breath, Kadezj smoothed his ears back over his skull. "We need one another. You are blood of my blood." And enough of that blood has already been lost to me.

Justice blinked back hot tears of shame when Kadezj rounded on her. She knew she shouldn't speak about Zirqoyi like that, since he had saved their life, but Kadezj had angered her so much these last few weeks that all she wanted to do was hurt him. He deserved a little payback for what he did, which was betrayal, no matter how you sliced it. He was clearly in denial if he thought she hadn't lost anything.

But Justice kept her mouth shut this time, turning away from the wolf to straighten her face and absorb the tears that threatened to fall. She was tired, hungry, and quite frankly scared of what would come next. Would they have to survive as lone wolves this winter? Justice knew that if Kadezj didn't find a place to rest and heal, he wouldn't last long. Justice didn't want to be at the mercy of the elements any longer than she had to, but Kadezj was so bull-headed about finding a pack.

Finally, she spoke up. "Kadezj, when are we going to look for a pack? I smell them all around here. This place seems abundant, anyway, to support them." She hoped he would say they could stay, but she just wasn't sure about him anymore.

Kadezj licked at his forepaws, arching over slowly to do so, careful on every muscle as he moved it. His tension relaxed as Justice accepted the reprimand for speaking out on the memory of his brother, and he could feel her begrudgingly shifting to a new stance - in her mind, not body. He did not offer up any sign of acknowledgement for the win. He knew that as twisted and manipulative as his motives were, he was also right in this case. They did need each other to survive.

And they probably also needed others. This scents of game and predators were both strong here, and he could not help but absorb it. In a way, he feared it - he was weak, obviously injured, and not fit to stand against another warrior. But he also knew this place. The khalas had traveled near it before. The packs that roved here each kept to their own territories quite strictly - something he wasn't all too understanding of, but also comforted by as a loner. He did not feel he would be forced to fight unless they crossed those territory boundaries. But join them?

"A pack grows slowly, leishak," he replied when he finally ceased grooming. "They will gather around us in time, when I am fit to lead them." He guessed, somehow, this was not entirely what she meant. "Would you wish us to leech off the backs of others until then?" he asked for clarification.

Justice turned to watch him laboriously clean his forepaws. The way he moved spoke of injuries not quick to heal, and Justice was sure their mad dash to survive hadn't helped his sore and broken body any favors. Her golden eyes watched him as he spoke, his eyes not truly daring to look at her, until he finally asked if they would leech of another pack.

Part of her bristled at the accusation, but the logical mind outweighed it. "Yes," she said simply, her eyes cold as she stared at him. "You are in no fit state to live on your own. I cannot hunt deer for you, as I am too small. We should join a pack, a small one, until you are healthier." She turned to look around the area, at the lake nearby, and decided. "We can also recruit others to your side, so when you are healed, we will not be alone."

Kadezj flicked his tail behind him, as a cat would do, not as would a dog. For as bullheaded as Justice could be, he did admire her for it. The problem with stubborn souls running into other stubborn souls was not that neither would yield, but that each had to then appreciate the other's fastidiousness. And in Justice there was much to admire, not the least of which the fact that she did, after all was said and done, remain by his side.

Bowing his head in a nod, he assented. "I will not be of much use to a pack, and should I have encountered a wolf in the shape I'm in at the fringe of my own territory, I would have put it out of its misery." It wasn't fear that flashed through his eyes exactly, but concern did show through.

"Very well," he consented. "You may seek us out a group to join. But I will not go sniffing around in this state. If wolves here exist willing to aid an injured brute such as myself, we must know that before I walk into their lands." The wisdom of finding a group that he could heal among was true - and the temptation strong. But in all honesty, Kadezj didn't believe they existed. War was all he knew - kindness simply wasn't on the menu. All the same, he could not deny the strangeness of this place with the scent of so many packs so near to one another.

Wrap up and new thread? :)

Kadezj sometimes acted more like a cat of the plains than a wolf, and she wondered if that was because of his long coyote heritage. It was true that she had some coyote blood in her as well, but it didn't extend through so many generations like it did for the khalas. Justice rolled her eyes at his initial words, spitting back at him, "Not everyone is as heartless as you, Kadezj. Wolves see family, coyotes see enemies. Don't let your blood cloud your mind." But he eventually consented to looking for a pack. After all, he knew she would not be able to care for him alone, especially in the state he was in.

"I wouldn't expect you to grovel, my lord." She said the last words with heavy sarcasm dripping from her tongue, knowing it would irk him. Kadezj didn't like jokes, and yet Justice took much pleasure in riling him up whenever she could. "I will find a pack nearby that will take us in. However, you have to trust me. I will say whatever is needed, within reason, to secure us a place for the winter. That means if I say you will behave, you must behave." She looked him over, the hybrid that had stolen her heart without her knowing, and wondered where on earth she had gotten this fire. "Understood?"

Deal! Feel free to reply once more or archive :)
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Kadezj had to play himself carefully and reign in what responses would have been more natural to him. His frustration with their situation, his dire straits between life and death ahead, and his reliance upon Justice for survival all put him in a position where his normal headstrong and self-sufficient personality simply could not stay afloat. He took Justice jibs in stride, flashing her a snarl to betray his emotional response but doing nothing to bicker in return or chide her.

"I trust you, Justice, else we would not be here together now," he said, albeit somewhat unwillingly. "If you say these wolves will give us protection, I will go forward with skepticism but not exclusion of the possibility." To give himself a little boost, he added, "To be all one thing means to be disadvantaged in one way or the other. Coyote, wolf, no matter - I prefer to draw from the strengths of both and leave the weakness of either. Show me that these packs are worth your idea of them, and only then will I believe it."

Nipping her gently behind the ear, in a way that was both affection and derision, he gave her one last sideways glance. "I will play the role of whomever you wish me to, so long as it benefits me." He said, not agreeing for hersake, but for his own - and being clear about it. "However, I concede it is best not to share my past as Oathbreaker, and to do what is necessary to ensure our survival." Kadezj clearly had no problem with lying their way to bounty and health if he needed to.

Fading! :)

Justice understood what he was saying, even if she didn't want to admit it. Kadezj did not want to look weak in front of strangers and it was her responsibility to make sure that while they knew he was injured, he was not portrayed as weak or without merit. And, of course, she was not to tell anyone about his mishap with the khalas. Justice was sure he didn't want anyone thinking he'd run out on them, sooner rather than later. With a nod, Justice agreed to what he said, knowing that they were both getting their way today, whether they liked it or not.